Mark Reynolds helping Orioles win with bat and glove

Eduardo A, EncinaThe Baltimore Sun

When a reporter began a question after Friday’s game asking Orioles first baseman Mark Reynolds what it was like to help his team win with his glove and his bat, Reynolds interrupted the inquiry to offer some self-deprecating humor.

"First person that's ever said that," Reynolds said, biting on the notion that his actually was actually being recognized.

Reynolds played a major part in the Orioles’ 6-1 win over the Yankees Friday night. His two-run homer off Hiroki Kuroda in the second inning was a towering blast that silenced the home crowd as it landed in the stadium’s second deck. His ninth-inning homer was an insurance-run exclamation point.

Reynolds also made an incredible play in the third inning, a diving stop to rob Russell Martin from what would have been the Yankees' first base hit.

He had his second two-homer game in the last three weeks and the 16th of his career, while snapping a 38-at bat homerless streak.

“You see his track record,” Showalter said. “At some point there's a chance that he's going to get it going. I'm real proud of Mark's approach to everything. There's been some tough spots for him, but he's as good a teammate as anybody could ask for in there. I think everybody really feels especially good for him to get a little something back for the way he's approached this season through adversity."

Give Reynolds credit for remaining at an even keel through some tough times. He knows a few good swings aren’t going to turn his season around.

"It was one of those nights,” he said. “It's been a rough year, a long year, but not gonna get too high and think anything different than I would have been thinking when I'm struggling. Just going to keep on working and try to do the little things to help us win.

"It's a plus, but like I said, it's ho-hum, just another day,” he added. “Tomorrow, I might have a bad day and someone else might pick us up. Just try to stay humble and keep working and try to finish this thing up."

Reynolds has told Showalter that his favorite time as a big leaguer was when he played on a Diamondbacks team that made the playoffs in 2007. In the same breath, he told Reynolds that he’d play anywhere in order to help get back to the playoff.

"It's been a positive year all year because we're winning,” he said. It's a lot more fun to come to the yard when you're right in the middle of a race. I've been through it before. It's what we play for, and you can tell, especially in this clubhouse, the quiet confidence that everyone has, expecting to win every night. We're going to keep riding this wave as long as it lasts."